Figuring Out the Stuff Between the Beginning and the End

What’s Old Is New Again

I’d like to just assume that you did and that you’ve clicked on this post because you have seen sitting by your computer for weeks just waiting for new content from your friendly neighborhood Single Guy. So I’m gonna just assume that. Okay?

I’m glad we’re all comfortable with that.

There have been some pretty significant changes in my life over the last few weeks. But to really tell the story, we need to go back to June. Yeah, I’ve been sitting on some stuff since June. And you didn’t think I could keep a secret!

Well, back in June, I was enjoying a typical day at work when… how do I put this… I kind of hit a brick wall. Or maybe I had a brick wall dropped on me. That’s what it felt like, anyway…

That wall came in the form of the knowledge that my position with the church would no longer be sustainable in the budget once we hit 2019.

I’ll be honest, it really sucked to get that news. And not just for me. It was hard for the people I worked with, my friends… my family… to deliver that difficult news. Not that I was feeling too bad for them at the time. I’m the one losing his job…

I’ll admit, for a while, I spiraled. I definitely got depressed. And that might not be a depression that I’m fully out of yet. I’ll keep you posted on that as time goes on.

But I was feeling lost. Here I was in this job that I loved, with a staff that I loved, in a church that I loved. Whenever someone asked me what my long term plans were, I told them I was living it. This was a position that I would have happily done for the rest of my life.

C’est la vie.

Well, it was the beginning of a busy summer. So I decided I had time to weigh option before really buckling down and finding a new job.

Funny how time flies when you’re doing something you enjoy.

Suddenly it’s fall and I have no prospects for a replacement job. So I did what any self-respecting adult looking for a sudden career change would do.

I procrastinated.

But not long. Look, I knew I had until the end of the year in a technical sense. But who wants to get to the end of the year with nothing lined up?

I started looking for marketing jobs. Because, in spite of having zero marketing experience before going to work for the church, that’s the bulk of what I did for the last two years. And I loved it. I learned a lot of those practical skills that employers claim they’re looking for. The ideal position I was hoping for was something in marketing with a strong emphasis on writing.

I like to write, in case you haven’t noticed.

But I wasn’t having a lot of luck in marketing. I even applied to about a dozen job at the local university. But they’re pretty slow about everything. So I went back to what felt like a sure thing.

I had years of experience as a counselor prior to getting on board with the church. And I left my previous position on good terms. Why not see if they’re hiring?

Turns out, they were. Just not in the local office. But the office that was hiring isn’t too far away. So I’ll have a bit of a commute, but it’s a great job and it’s one I’ve done before.

I’ll miss working for the church. I’ll miss it more than I can put into words. The staff has been my family in the last two years. I love each of them dearly.

As it is now, I will still be able to be involved with the church. The difficulty for me will simply be that I won’t see my friends every day like I’ve been used to. And as I write these words, that realization saddens me.

But I’ve yet to step foot in my new school. I haven’t yet met my new coworkers. I haven’t met any of the teachers or students that I’ll be working with. It’s just possible that I could get to work and meet my new best friends. Time will tell.

Up until a couple weeks ago, if you had asked me how my year was going, I’d have probably told you that 2018 was pretty much the worst. I’d have said that even though I know there are probably 6.5 billion people on the planet who have it worse than me. It’s all about perspective. And my perspective was a selfish one.

Now I’m seeing things more through the eyes of someone who’s willing to rely on God to provide. Someone who should have been willing to rely on God the whole time, instead of relying on myself and what I thought was best for me.

Through it all, I’ve seen His hand at work. And I was taking it for granted. I won’t claim that I’ve reached an amazing point of enlightenment and that I’ll never take God’s grace for granted again, because I know I’m only human and the reality is I’m still gonna be selfish and try to view the world through the lens of my own circumstances. But that won’t make me any less grateful for the way God has provided.

One of my favorite quotes attributed to Dr. Seuss is, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” I can’t promise there won’t be tears over the loss of something I’ve loved. But I can guarantee there will be plenty of smiles when I look back at all the times I laughed with the staff I grew to call family.

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3 thoughts on “What’s Old Is New Again”

Job hunting is singlehandedly the worst most uncomfortable and often humiliating/humbling experience ever. Boooo, although I am glad you have found something to tide you over this transitionary phase. Good luck!

Oh gosh, so sorry Aaron. As you may know- I am going through the same thing. It really really stinks 😦 I pray for the both of us, I agree with you 2018 was not the best (at least the second half certainly wasn’t).